Chestnut Specialists, Inc.
Manufacturer of antique wood for flooring: chestnut, oak, pine & hemlock; hewn barn beams, weathered siding & sheathing planks.
Carroll William Westfall
Until his retirement in 2015 Carroll William Westfall taught the history of architecture, most recently at the University of Notre Dame, which he joined in 1966. The author of three books and numerous articles concerning traditional and classical architecture and urbanism from antiquity to the present, he has a special interest in making knowledge of the history of architecture useful to architects and builders.
Supports & Their Toppings
Columns, piers, and walls traditionally have celebratory toppings. The capitals of the three canonic Greek and two Roman additions are the most familiar, but local variations abound, such as these in Chicago and in Richmond, Virginia.
Celebrating Where the Public and Private Meet
Traditional architecture serves the public, common good by using a vestibule to make a clear connection between the public and private realms.
Tradition in the Vernacular and the Classical
Tradition has always guided both vernacular and classical buildings, but now, with architects avoiding drawing on tradition, the present-day vernacular of the builders no longer benefits from innovations within the classical and architects ignore the vernacular’s innovations, with both suffering.
Traditional, Classical, and Other Words
The classical is the indispensable contributor to the common good.
The Architect as Citizen
The architect as citizen seeks beauty as the counterpart to justice.
Urbanism as the Salve on Disunity
Democracy needs neighborhoods where diverse people mingle.
Beauty, Sublime and Happiness
The happiness we pursue is more enduring and rewarding than the transient emotional lift of the sublime's novelty and drama. It resides instead in the beauty in the buildings we build and the urbanism we make with tradition’s guidance.
Urbanism and Happiness: Part 1
What is happiness and how does it relate to urbanism?
Statues in Urbanism, Part 2: Richmond Fumbles
An update on the relevancy of statues in urbanism.
New Construction in a Historic Neighborhood in Richmond, VA
Carroll William Westfall investigates new modern construction in a historic neighborhood.
Vitruvius on Churches and Bike Racks
Carroll William Westfall discusses the loss of firmness, commodity and delight in modern architecture and urbanism.
Right Sizing Rome and Richmond
American cities used to be more like ancient cities such as Rome which were built piecemeal to meet the needs of its citizens.
FLW and the Death of Urbanism
Carroll William Westfall discusses Frank Lloyd Wright's impact on traditional urbanism.
Face to Face with Traditional Buildings
Buildings, like people, have faces that reveal their expressive character
Statues In Urbanism
Urbanism needs statues. Some simply become old friends, but others shout and you listen.
Urbanism: Profaned and Reclaimed
Demonstrators at the University of Virginia march to reclaim their campus and city.
Addressing the Wrongs of Lost Cause Urbanism
Carroll William Westfall takes a look at the controversy surrounding the country's Confederate monuments.
Tradition - Not Style - Builds Good Urbanism
Tradition is a Key Factor for Good Urbanism, Not Style.
Observations from Sicily
Carroll William Westfall shares his observations from Sicily.
Traditional Urbanism and the Common Good
Carroll William Westfall looks at the ways traditional urbanism promotes the common good in communities, cities, towns and neighborhoods.
Buildings, Urbanism and Two Kinds of Beauty
Carroll William Westfall discusses the relationship of good urbanism and beautiful buildings.
Preservation and Urbanism: The Problem with Labeling a Building "Of its Time."
Carroll William Westfall discusses the development of preservation and urbanism, illustrating the problem with labeling a building "of its time."
Incremental Change and Tradition
Incremental change in architecture and urban development produces successful neighborhoods and cities.
The Value of Tradition in Urbanism
Urbanism is what we build to serve our needs and desires in families and neighborhoods and on up in scale to cities, states and nations. It is the grandest, most complicated, complex, and extensive thing we build, but we underestimate its role in our lives, and it is tradition that makes urbanism valuable for us.
